Des Plaines City Council members on Tuesday enthusiastically approved a multimillion-dollar deal to convert a historic downtown building into a restaurant.
“This is something to be excited about,” 2nd Ward Alderman Colt Moylan said.
The agreement with local restaurateur David Villegas’ 10 Scents company covers the renovation of the three-story, marble building at 678 Lee St., as well as the lease for the space and its future operations. The pact specifies a 15-year lease with two optional five-year extensions.
Completed in 1927, the roughly 18,000-square-foot building spent most of the last century as a bank but has been vacant since 2019.
Under the deal, Des Plaines will spend up to $12 million to bring the building up to code and make other improvements. It’ll then be up to Villegas to add kitchen equipment, furniture, fixtures, signs and other restaurant-specific amenities, at a projected $4.5 million cost.
Villegas, who converted a former Des Plaines church into the popular Foxtail on the Lake restaurant in a similar public-private partnership with the Des Plaines Park District less than two years ago, said he’s dreamed of repurposing another historically significant building in the city.
“I am honored to be chosen as a partner in this endeavor to revitalize the downtown of this spectacular city I call home,” Villegas told the Daily Herald after Tuesday’s vote.
A 2027 opening is planned. Villegas hasn’t yet revealed a name or theme for the restaurant.
While noting the deal comes with “a hefty price” for the city, 6th Ward Alderman Mark Walsten said he believes it’s going to work out well for Des Plaines.
Fifth Ward Alderman Thomas Merlin predicted the new eatery will be “a major change for the downtown area” if it does even a fraction of Foxtail on the Lake’s business.
Villegas’ company will be able to buy the property from the city after the 10th year, 15th year or 20th year of the contract. Rent will be a percentage of the restaurant’s net sales from the previous month, starting at 2% and increasing to a maximum 6% in the 19th year, documents indicate.
In related action Tuesday, the council approved a three-year contract with Minnesota-based Pope Design Group to design the renovation and oversee construction. That work will cost $943,550, documents indicate.
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